Ambulance appeal to use 999 service wisely

Yorkshire Ambulance Service is appealing to people across Yorkshire to use the emergency ambulance service wisely as the hospitality sector starts to open up after the latest lockdown period came to an end on Monday (12 April).

The Trust has experienced significant spikes in demand this week from mid-afternoon into the evening as bars and pubs have reopened for people to be able to meet up outside.

The service receives up to 3,000 calls every day in its emergency operations centres, but has seen increased activity now that more people are out and about socialising.

Nick Smith, Executive Director of A&E Operations for YAS, encouraged the public to use the service wisely and warned that unnecessary calls could delay responses to those patients most in need of emergency help.

He said: “We are a busy service, but the easing of lockdown measures has resulted in more calls to alcohol-related incidents, including an increase in the number of assaults. We don’t want to spoil people’s enjoyment in being able to meet with family and friends outside after a long period of being confined to home, but we are appealing to people to look after each other and behave responsibly.

“We’re here 24/7 if people need us and we always prioritise our response to the most seriously ill and injured patients. The public have a really important role to play in knowing when to call 999 and when another NHS service is more appropriate.

“If someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk, you should call 999 immediately. If not, please consider other options such as 111.nhs.uk, your GP or pharmacy.”

Genuine 999 calls include chest pain, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, severe loss of blood, severe burns and scalds, choking, fitting/convulsions, drowning, severe allergic reaction, heart attack, stroke and major trauma such as a serious road traffic accident, stabbing, shooting, fall from height or a serious head injury.

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust covers almost 6,000 square miles of varied terrain from isolated moors and dales to urban areas, coastline and inner cities and provides 24-hour emergency and healthcare services to a population of more than five million people. The organisation receives around 2,800 emergency and routine calls per day and employs over 6,300 staff.

The Patient Transport Service made over 895,000 journeys in 2019-20 transporting eligible patients to and from hospital and treatment centre appointments. The Trust’s NHS 111 service helped over 1.5 million patients across Yorkshire and the Humber, Bassetlaw, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire during 2019-20. To find out more about YAS, please visit the website at www.yas.nhs.uk.

Issued by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Press Office